If you disagree, in whole or in part, with a Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC) decision, there are options for you to appeal or to request a Veterans Health Administration (VHA) review of the decision. Your options depend on the date we issued your PCAFC decision. Previously you could only appeal PCAFC decisions through the VHA Clinical Review Process (also known as the VHA Clinical Appeals Process).

VA Form 20-0998 is not the designated form used to explain options available if individuals disagree with decisions made by VA’s Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC). Instead, please refer to VA Form 10-305 but before opening the form, we guide you to review the following videos:

     - VA Form 10-305 Video Part I: Your Rights to Seek Further Review of PCAFC Decisions
             •  followed by
     - VA Form 10-305 Video Part II: Your Rights to Seek Further Review of PCAFC Decisions

There are multiple options available for Veterans and caregivers who disagree with a Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC) decision. When Caregiver Support Program (CSP) receives a review or appeal requests, teams within the Caregiver Support Program review the form to ensure it is correctly filled out. From there, it is placed in queue for the experts to complete the request. These requests are then managed in the order in which they are received. At this time, due to details and variances of each case, the CSP is unable to provide an exact timeline of how long it may take for the completion of a review or appeal request. We thank you for your patience and understanding.

Review options for decisions issued before to February 19, 2019

If you disagree with a PCAFC decision issued before February 19, 2019, you can now appeal to the Board of Veteran’s Appeals (Board). You will need to submit a completed VA Form 10-307, Program of Comprehensive Assistance For Family Caregivers (PCAFC) Notice of Disagreement (NOD) to:

Veterans Affairs Evidence Intake Center
P.O. Box 5154
Janesville, WI 53547

You can also seek review through the VHA Clinical Review Process. Please contact the Patient Advocate at your local VA medical facility for more information on the Clinical Review Process.

Review options for decisions issued on or after February 19, 2019

If you disagree with a PCAFC decision issued on or after February 19, 2019, you can utilize one of the following options: VHA Clinical Review Process, Supplemental Claim, Higher-Level Review, or appeal to the Board. Like the Clinical Review Process, a Supplemental Claim or request for Higher-Level Review is completed by VHA.

You can file a Supplemental Claim if you have new and relevant evidence that was not part of the record (not available) when we made the PCAFC decision.  
Download VA Form-20-0995, Decision Review Request: Supplemental Claim (pdf)

You can file a Higher-Level Review to ask for a higher-level decision maker in the Caregiver Support Program to look at your case. You can’t submit additional evidence with a Higher-Level Review. 
Download VA Form-20-0996, Decision Review Request: Higher-Level Review (pdf)
Learn more about VA Form 20-0996 by watching this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgAXiG-aff8

Submit your completed VA Form 20-0995 (Supplemental Claim) or VA Form 20-0996 (Higher-Level Review) to:
Veterans Affairs Evidence Intake Center
P.O. Box 5154
Janesville, WI 53547

Appeal to the Board

All PCAFC decisions can be appealed to the Board. To appeal a PCAFC decision to the Board issued on or after February 19, 2019, you will need to submit a completed VA Form 10182, Decision Review Request: Board Appeal (Notice of Disagreement) (pdf) to:

Board of Veterans’ Appeals
P.O. Box 27063
Washington, DC 20038
FAX: 844-678-8979